Many people don’t realize how much the speaking voice changes throughout the day… and before and after vocal warmups. The goal of this 30-Day Voice Challenge is to hear the differences in your speaking voice, make adjustments as needed, and speak or record your voice with confidence, clarity, and ease. Commit to 5 minutes a day. No skipped days. And record one to three samples a day as outlined below.
Week 1: Pitch Difference Awareness
- Record yourself saying or reading the same couple sentences in the morning, afternoon, and evening. At the end of the week, listen and compare if there’s a consistent pattern or differences in the voice’s pitch, strength, clarity, energy, and breath support at different times of the day.
Week 2: Breath Support Strengthening
- Record the same couple sentences in one breath, pushing past the final word. While it might take a few days to achieve the desired result, the goal is to have the volume speaking level remain the same for 10-12 seconds from the first spoken word to the last.
Week 3: Resonance and Articulation Training
- Record yourself twice saying or reading the same couple sentences or a different couple sentences that showcase resonators and articulators. Each day, select a different resonator (m, n, l, v, z, ng, ong) to stretch out and vibrate. Then, select a different articulator to tap lightly (t, g, k, p, b, d) as you read the same couple sentences.
Week 4: Enunciation Musicality
- Record yourself saying or reading the same couple sentences with your teeth together or with a pencil or cork in your mouth. Record yourself with the closed mouth obstruction as you try your best to tap all the articulators and buzz all the resonators. Then, remove the object, open your mouth, and record yourself speaking naturally.
GOAL: Increased breath support. Ability to create clear and unique speaking “tunes” based on the resonance, articulation, enunciation, pitch, and strength of the voice choices.
